Cambria County, Pa., to Build New Drinking Water Plant

The Greater Johnstown Water Authority (GJWA) has awarded USFilter a $1.7 million contract to provide a Memcor continuous microfiltration (CMF) system for Cambria County's new Saltlick Filtration Plant. The plant will allow the GJWA to use a new source of water, the Saltlick Reservoir, to help support the drinking water needs of the county's 22,000 residents.

Pennsylvania has suffered through some of the driest weather on record over the last several years. The GJWA reports that its reservoirs are at an all-time low and, as a result, has implemented mandatory water restrictions throughout central Pennsylvania.

The GJWA and its engineering firm, Gibson-Thomas Engineering Co., Inc., of Latrobe, Pa., selected USFilter's Memcor CMF system for the Saltlick Filtration Plant based on a successful six-month pilot study and a competitive bid process with two other membrane manufacturers.

Designed to treat 4 million gallons per day of surface water from the Saltlick Reservoir, the Saltlick Filtration Plant's Memcor CMF 5 x E96M10C system will consist of 5 membrane skids and a total of 480 membrane modules. The CMF system uses hollow fiber membranes to filter suspended solids, contaminants and harmful pathogens from the water supply and features a patented gas backwash for efficient, cost-effective cleaning.